About Preference Tools

A preference tool enables you to change settings in the desktop. Each preference
tool covers a particular aspect of the computer. For example, with the Mouse
preference tool you can set your mouse to left-handed or right-handed use, or
change the speed of the pointer on the screen. With the Windows
preference tool,you can set behavior common to all windows, such as the way
in which you select windows with the mouse.

To open a preference tool, choose System -> Preferences in the top panel.
Choose the tool from the submenu.

With a few exceptions, the changes you make to settings in a
preference tool take effect without needing to close the preference tool. You can
keep the preference tool window open while you try the changes, and make
further changes if you wish.

Some applications or system components might add their own preference tools to the
menu.

Note - Some preference tools enable you to modify essential parts of your system, and
therefore require administrative access. When you open the preference tool, a dialog box
will prompt you for your password. These tools are in the System ->
Administration submenu. This menu also contains more complex utility applications for managing and
updating your system.

This section describes the preferences you can set. These preferences include:

Assistive Technologies preferences

Keyboard shortcut preferences

Preferred application preferences

Assistive Technologies

The Assistive Technologies preference tool enables assistive technologies in the Oracle Solaris Desktop.
You can also use the Assistive Technologies preference tool to open other preference
tools which contain preferences related to assistive technologies.

Preferred Applications enables you to specify assistive technology applications to start automatically when you log in. See Preferred Applications.

Select Enable Assistive Technologies to enable assistive technologies in the desktop. After enabling
this option, log out and then log in again for this option to
be fully effective.

Keyboard Shortcuts

Use the Keyboard Shortcuts preference tool to customize the default keyboard shortcuts.

A keyboard shortcut is a key or combination of keys that provide
an alternative to standard ways of performing an action. For more about keyboard shortcuts,
and a list of the default shortcuts used in the desktop, see
Appendix B, Using the Keyboard.

The keyboard shortcuts are grouped as follows:

Desktop – Shortcuts for tasks related to the whole desktop, such as logging out, locking the screen, opening the panel menubar, or launching a web browser.

Sound – Shortcuts for controlling your music player and the system volume.

Window Management – Shortcuts for working with windows and workspaces, such as maximizing or moving the current window, and switching to another workspace. For more information about these kinds of actions, see Working With Windows and Workspaces Overview.

Accessibility – Shortcuts for starting assistive technologies, such as a screen reader, a magnifier, or an on-screen keyboard.

Custom Shortcuts – Shortcuts that you have added with the Add button. This section will not be shown if there are no custom shortcuts.

How to Add a Custom Shortcut

Choose System -> Preferences -> Keyboard Shortcuts.

Click the Add button in the action area.

Provide a name and a command for the new shortcut.

The new custom shortcut will appear in the list of shortcuts and can
be edited in the same way as the predefined shortcuts.

Note - To remove a custom shortcut, use the Remove button.

How to Edit a Keyboard Shortcut

Choose System -> Preferences -> Keyboard Shortcuts.

Click the action in the list or use the arrow keys to
select the shortcut and press Return.

Press the new key or key combination you want to assign to
the action.

To clear a shortcut, press Backspace. The action is now marked as Disabled.

Note - To cancel assigning a shortcut, click elsewhere in the window or press Esc.

Preferred Applications

Use the Preferred Applications preference tool to specify the applications that you want
the Oracle Solaris Desktop to use when it starts an application. For example,
you can specify a web browser application (Epiphany, Mozilla Firefox, or Opera) to
start when you click a link in other applications such as email
clients or document viewers.

You can customize the preferences for the Preferred Applications preference tool in the
following functional areas:

Internet (Web, Mail)

Multimedia (Multimedia Player)

System (Terminal)

Accessibility (Visual, Mobility)

For each preferred application category, you can choose from a list of possible
applications. The list depends on the applications installed on your computer.

In each category, the last item in the menu (Custom) enables you
to customize the command used by the system when the specific launch action
occurs. The following table summarizes the various options that you can choose when you
select Custom.

Table 9-1 Custom Command Options

Dialog Element

Description

Command

Type the command to execute to start the custom application.
For the Web Browser and the Mail Reader applications, you can include a
%s after the command to tell the application to use the URL or
Email address you clicked. The exact command arguments depend on the specific application.

Run
in terminal

Select this option to run the command in a terminal window.
Select this option for an application that does not create a window
in which to run.

Execute flag (Terminal only)

Most terminal applications have an option
that causes them to treat the remaining command-line options as commands to run
(-x for the terminal). Type this option here. For example, this
setting is used when executing a command of a launcher for which the
chosen type is Application in Terminal.